Lithoz to debut three new ceramic materials at ceramitec 2026
Lithoz, based in Vienna, Austria, will premiere three new variants of its most popular ceramic materials at this year’s ceramitec 2026. The new materials are specifically streamlined for industrial serial production. The company will also have live demonstrations of its new CeraFab System S320, which features a build platform five times larger than its previous ceramic Additive Manufacturing machines.
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New materials
To further streamline the processing of Lithoz alumina for industrial production, the new LithaLox material combines the advantages a high-purity alumina with the uncomplicated processability of the more versatile variants. Improvements include achievable wall thicknesses of up to 12 mm and an increased solid loading of 55 vol%. This high degree of filling reportedly results in a lower and more uniform shrinkage behaviour and improved ceramic properties, such as bending strength, observed during internal trials.
The new LithaCon zirconia variant also premiering at ceramitec is fine-tuned to further minimise variation of final parts when production runs at industrial scale. As well as the upgrade in fracture toughness and cleanability, the LithaCon zirconia variant offers a significantly increased Weibull modulus, indicating the variation in bending strength values within produced lots. In industrial terms, the improved Weibull modulus as a reliability parameter is directly linked to a significantly reduced rate of quality deviation from target values of finished parts. In particular, the optimised formulation of LithaCon results in an excellent material fit for parts featuring thread geometries, such as endosseous screws of dental implants.
Lithoz can now meet increased demand for a Medical Grade LithaCon ATZ in response to growing interest from the MedTech industry, ranging from dental implants to surgical tools and other medical devices like shavers or burs. Alumina-toughened zirconia (ATZ) combines the best material properties of alumina and zirconia. Based on Lithoz’s ISO 13485 certified quality management, the new medical grade material offers perfect biocompatibility, wall thicknesses of up to 17 mm and a measured bending strength of 993 MPa.
Global Ceramic 3D Factory network
Alongside launching three new ceramic materials, Lithoz will highlight the role of its global Ceramic 3D Factory network of experienced contract manufacturers and research institutes as a key driver of the current pace at which OEMs worldwide are adopting LCM-based ceramic Additive Manufacturing.
On-show at ceramitec
Real-life components to be seen at ceramitec for the first time include:
- A S320 build platform filled with a range of 46 ceramic casting cores used to produce single crystal turbine blades for next-gen aircraft engines. These demonstrators represent those produced by Safran Aircraft Engines who recently installed three Lithoz CeraFab System S65 AM machines at its Gennevilliers facility near Paris.
- A highly complex atomic layer deposition (ALD) ring for the semiconductor industry, made of alumina with a remarkable diameter of 380 mm. Thanks to ultra-precise LCM technology, the ring features exceptionally thin-walled optimised flow channels, resulting in a verifiably extended uptime from one to nine months and tripled production output. Design by Plasway, produced by Alumina Systems.
- A medical section will present what is reportedly the world’s first patient-specific ceramic earmoulds for hearing aids in serial production, designed and marketed by OC GmbH and mass-customised by CADdent on Lithoz CeraFab S65 Medical AM machines, these earmoulds will make their first appearance at ceramitec. Particular attention is also given to the newest exhibits in bone replacement, meanwhile backed up by more than 25 publications and clinical studies.
- Visitors from the dental industry will see 132 zirconia dental implants on one single CeraFab S65 Medical platform. Average build time per implant is less than 2.5 minutes, at a calculated cost per unit of less than €5. Made from the new medical grade zirconia, visitors can also examine these implants in a touch & feel experience.
- Many sintered aluminium nitride parts will be on display. Thanks to its impressive CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) closely matching the CTE of silicon, this material is currently receiving attention from the semiconductor industry. An impressive sintered 100 x 100 mm cooling plate with ultra-precise inner channels is reportedly the biggest AlN part ever manufactured on a Lithoz CeraFab machine.
Johannes Homa, Lithoz CEO, shared, “Our LCM technology has matured a lot and most inquiries for parts get straight to the point. It’s all about the application and its repeatability in serial production. Our persistent focus on creating real-world components leveraged by our Ceramic 3D Factory network gives a solid blueprint for projects across many industries. Ceramitec had recognised this innovation pull at an early stage and now we are really looking forward to meeting the full set of user industries on this year’s main stage for high-performance ceramics.”
